The Shield def. John Cena, Ryback & Sheamus

The scene in New Orleans was much different than the site of two consecutive editions of Monday Night Raw heading into Elimination Chamber. For weeks, Cena and his allies ripped the primary page of Shield’s nefarious playbook, crossing through the crowd in a united front to besiege their enemies.

This, along with Cena’s momentum rolling out of the Royal Rumble en route to WrestleMania, stunned Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns and appeared to foretell the fall of the upstarts in just their second sanctioned WWE match. (PHOTOS: SHIELD'S FIRST WWE MATCH)

In the heat of the action, though, Shield rebounded when it mattered most. After Roman Reigns crushed The Celtic Warrior’s body with a spear on the outside, he quickly rejoined his cohorts in the squared circle for a 3-on-2 showdown on those foes still standing, Cena and Ryback. With Ambrose up for an Attitude Adjustment, Reigns’ second spear connected with Ryback’s midsection as he simultaneously hoisted up Rollins. Alas, the Cenation leader laid out Shield’s frontman but couldn’t reach the pinfall in time to save Ryback (and his squad) from defeat—leaving the Superstars stunned and Ryback wrought with frustration.

The Shell-shocking Superstar succumbed to The Shield on pay-per-view, projecting the rebels to a status that’s arguably equivalent to unstoppable. Their upset triumph over WWE’s Cena’s super squad sends the 2013 Royal Rumble winner forth on The Road to WrestleMania with rocky propulsion. A thick, black dust settles and the WWE Universe ponders what lies ahead for each of these six Superstars as the hours pass before The Biggest Spectacle of Them All — a event, despite its grandeur, that perhaps is not above The Shield’s rendering of “justice,” should it be the nefarious group’s next target. (EXCLUSIVE MATCH PHOTOS | ORDER THE ELIMINATION CHAMBER REPLAY)